TWO COPS RUN TO AID WIDOWS

New York Daily News

June 19, 1998

 BYLINE: By ALICE McQUILLAN

This Father’s Day, police officers Tom and Suzanne Lowney of Long Beach are putting their love of running to the test to benefit women and children who lost their husbands and fathers.

The married couple will compete in San Diego’s marathon to raise money for Survivors of the Shield, a group that helps orphans and widows of New York City police officers killed in the line of duty.

“Most of the police officers killed in the line of duty are fathers,” said Tom Lowney, 34, a community affairs cop in Manhattan. “It always seems like they have young children.”

“I don’t think there’s enough help out there for police officers and their families . . . I feel they are forgotten,” said Suzanne, 31, a police officer in the 114th Precinct in Astoria, Queens. “They do a big funeral, they are in the news for a week and all of sudden everybody forgets about them. This will remind people that they still do need help.”

The Lowneys are fixtures on the Long Beach boardwalk, where they train for long-distance races. Their second wedding anniversary is this Sunday.

They didn’t discover running until after they met, but now they can’t live without their daily workouts.

They make their marathon treks together.

“We cross the finish line holding hands,” said Suzanne.

So far about 100 people have donated more than $ 1,000 to the Survivors of the Shield for the Lowneys’ race in San Diego.

Anyone wishing to help can send a check to “Survivors of the Shield” c/o Marathon Runners Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, SOS Runners, 40 Fulton St., 17th floor, New York, N.Y, 10038, or call PBA trustee Scott Williamson at (212) 298-9116.